Pages 1-5: Charles Prejean worked on exposing adults to more formal education
opportunities. In the 1960s Prejean started a fruitcake business under the Southern
Consumers Cooperative, at the same time creating a lending institution. Prejean
describes how the Southern Consumers Cooperative got involved with the Southern
Regional Council (SRC). He examines how the SRC was involved with the civil rights
movements of the time and how it responded to other changes going on at that time.

Pages 6-8: Prejean discusses his interaction with the Voter Education Program (VEP).
The VEP evolved into an umbrella organization to satisfy community need, often
working with the same groups of people as the SRC. Prejean describes Vernon Jordan
and his strengths to the project, and John Lewis' involvement and the tensions he
created within the VEP. Prejean also describes Julian Noland's role in the VEP as
being similar to Lewis'.

Pages 9-14: Prejean describes how he came to be the executive director of SRC in
1967. Prejean examines how the SRC responded to some of the racial issues that
were going on at the time. The SRC was trying to make the transition to having more
blacks involved while undergoing insults and verbal abuse when the black groups
wanted it to happen quicker. Looking back, Prejean thought there should have been
more discussion about putting blacks into leadership positions so abruptly. No one
understood just how difficult it would be at the time. Prejean examines his feelings that
racism is still an issue, though more subtle than it was in the past. Prejean feels that
there is still a need for the SRC and the goals and mission that it represents.

Pages 15-20: Prejean recalls the shift in the civil rights movement in the 1970s and the
effect it had on the funding of the SRC. The shift in the movement included the Poor
People's Campaign, and Prejean discusses how he thought U.S. society was not ready
for that. Prejean examines how he felt the SRC could have increased its visibility
during these times. He describes SRC's major achievements and contributions during
the 1970s and 1980s. Prejean felt their major contribution was voice. Prejean
explains how he feels the role of the SRC has been unacknowledged. There was too
much emotion when all the movements were actually going on. Time is needed in
order for people to really understand all that went on.

SRC- 6 Prejean, page 1

G: It is Thursday, June 27, [2002]. This is Susan Glisson. I=m in Atlanta, Georgia, on West Peach

Tree, just around the corner from the Stork Hawks with Charles Prejean. We are talking about the

Southern Regional Council. Thank you very much for your time.

P: Thank you.

G: I would love to hear your story on how you arrived at the point where you were associated with the

Southern Regional Council.

P: I think maybe I ought to start off with the statement that yes my name is Charles Prejean, and

although it doesn't sound like a typical southern name I am a southern, that is if any state west of

the Mississippi can be classified as southern. Southern Louisiana, that's part of the South. The

question is how did I come in touch with SRC and how would I characterize my early experience

with the Southern Regional Council. Working Louisiana, working in the area of social justice and

social and economic empowerment issues in rural southwest Louisiana, first we started off with

community literacy training thinking that if adults were exposed to more formal education, they

would build on this and have opportunities for better employment. That was a difficult proposition

for adults because the classes were in the evenings and folks worked all day and retired at night.

They were more concerned with immediate results, short term benefits from doing the extra that

was needed. So we decided to respond to that by creating employment opportunities and income

generating opportunities. What seemed to be the model that was most appropriate for people with